Department of Defense Missing OMB Deadline Reinforces That Data Center Consolidation is More Complex Than Imagined

Originally posted on Blue Coat’s Federal Blue Printblog

On October 7, federal agencies needed to provide a progress report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that provides an update on all data center consolidation efforts. While many agencies met the OMB deadline, the Department of Defense (DoD) did not submit its report, and more than a month later, the report has not yet been filed.

We all know that data center consolidation is a major undertaking by the U.S. government aimed at helping cut overall information technology costs. By next year, the government plans to close 373 data centers, which represents approximately 800,000 square feet of space.

So, why did the DoD miss this deadline? While only those internally at DoD would know the full story, it is very easy to surmise that it’s because data center consolidation is a highly complex task. It is one thing to be able to develop plans and strategies for consolidating IT, and another to implement it quickly and effectively.

This is also a sign that this new era of ‘doing more with less’ will be more challenging that initially suspected. As we have highlighted before, the entire data consolidation effort will reinforce that need for enhanced bandwidth, secure application delivery and the optimization of data flow.

Government leaders simply do not want to sacrifice effectiveness just to meet new and aggressive budget requirements. And, for the DoD, its role in protecting our nation is far too important and should never be compromised.

Perhaps this is why the DoD missed the deadline.